A distinct handprint emerged on his right cheek. Yan Xia squinted her eyes slightly.
"Are you done talking?" She tilted her head and glanced at the slap mark on his face. "What happened to your face?"
Shangguan Yao instinctively touched his right cheek. His complexion wasn't looking good.
"It's nothing."
As they were talking, the door of the lounge opened again, and Wang Keding walked out of it. His gaze wandered between Yan Xia and Shangguan Yao for a while, and finally landed on Yan Xia.
He even looked calm, with no change in his expression at all.
Yan Xia wondered how he could face her so calmly. Thinking of what happened last time and how she had kindly let him off in front of the police, she wondered what was going on in his mind.
"Miss Lu really has good tricks." Wang Keding calmly adjusted his coat. "If you wanted that reclamation permit, why didn't you just ask me for it directly? Maybe I would have given it to you. Why go through so much trouble?"
There was a hidden meaning in his words. Considering what he had done last time, anyone could easily figure out what he meant by asking him for it directly.
It was an open humiliation of her.
Yan Xia's hand slipped off the doorknob. "There are so many people who want the reclamation permit. Would Director Wang give it to me just because I ask?"
Wang Keding said, "You won't know unless you try."
Unable to stand Wang Keding's flippant attitude any longer, Shangguan Yao frowned and stepped forward to stand beside Yan Xia.
"Miss Lu, don't bother with this. Since I've promised you, I'll definitely find a way to make it happen."
Wang Keding poured cold water on him. "I'm afraid you won't be able to do it."
The atmosphere was tense, and the conversation between the two was full of gunpowder. Shangguan Yao didn't even want to look at him anymore. He just stood behind Yan Xia, blocking her line of sight from Wang Keding.
"Aren't you going to rest? Why don't you go in?"
Yan Xia opened the door, and Shangguan Yao followed her into the lounge.
It was not until Shangguan Yao sat down on the sofa on his own that Yan Xia squinted her eyes slightly and said, "This mark on your face... was it because you were trying to get the reclamation permit for me that you got slapped?"
Shangguan Yao opened his mouth and moved his cheek. He seemed a bit impatient. "Who would have known that he would really strike! Is my face swollen? Does it affect my handsome image?"
"Shangguan, are you his illegitimate son?" Yan Xia asked in a joking tone. She lowered her head and sent a message to Wen Liang, asking him to bring a first - aid kit.
Wang Keding paused for a moment, his eyes looking obscure.
Suddenly, he laughed unexpectedly. "I thought you already knew."
Yan Xia said, "I've always just suspected it. I never had a chance to confirm it. Now that I have the chance, why not ask you?"
"Now that you know I am, what do you think? Do you find me disgusting and don't want to see me anymore?" His attitude was unexpectedly sincere.
If word got out that father and son were both interested in the same woman, God knows what the media would make of it.
"That's not the case. It's just that I feel a bit sorry for you. After all, your relationship with him is special, and it doesn't seem to be very good. But now you have to flatter him for my sake and get the reclamation permit for me."
Shangguan Yao laughed. "I did it voluntarily. It's not forced. Besides, I have my own motives for doing this."
Yan Xia looked at him but didn't say a word.
Suddenly, Shangguan Yao stood up and approached her step by step. Yan Xia was originally standing near the wall. He was tall and long - limbed. With a single hand, he propped against the wall, as if pinning her against it.
"What, now that you've confirmed my real identity, are you scared? Or are you afraid that you'll lose the three - month bet and fall in love with me?"
He was extremely close to her, his amber eyes full of affection.
Yan Xia suddenly remembered that it was rumored that Shangguan Yao was the son of Shangguan Tong, a film queen who had won a Grand Slam trophy.
Looking at him from this distance, she found that he really resembled his mother, especially his eyes. He had deep double eyelids, and his amber eyes always seemed to be full of affection, making it hard to resist.
The two stood in this position. Suddenly, there was a noise at the door. Almost a second later, the door opened.
Outside stood Lu Qianzhou, Jiang Yue beside him, and Wen Liang following behind.
Seeing this situation, Jiang Yue immediately laughed and pulled at Lu Qianzhou's sleeve. "It seems we've come at a bad time."
Feeling Lu Qianzhou's sharp gaze, Yan Xia's heart skipped a beat. Remembering that he had told her to keep a proper distance from Shangguan Yao, she immediately broke free from his embrace.
"Third brother, why are you here?"
Jiang Yue said with a smile, "You asked someone to bring a first - aid kit. Qianzhou thought you were injured. He said he'd come to check on you and take you home by the way."
Yan Xia knew that she had touched on something Lu Qianzhou was sensitive about, so she raised her voice.
"The first - aid kit is for Mr. Shangguan. You can just give it to him." She took a deep breath. "Are you going home tonight, third brother?"
"Let's go." Lu Qianzhou glanced at Shangguan Yao twice and walked ahead first.
Yan Xia followed him. The group walked out of the lounge, passed through the lobby, and the car was waiting outside the hotel.
Seeing Jiang Yue and Lu Qianzhou get into the back seat together, Yan Xia was very observant and got into the passenger seat.
The group was very quiet during the journey, and the atmosphere in the car was extremely awkward. Yan Xia lowered her head and played with her phone to kill time. Tonight, Wen Liang would first take Jiang Yue home, then go to Lu Qianzhou's mansion, and finally take Yan Xia home.
They clearly could have their own drivers take them home directly, but they had to squeeze into one car.
"By the way, sister, I heard that you're working at Shengshi now. Shengshi is a tough nut to crack. Are you getting used to it?" Jiang Yue suddenly interjected. "Actually, you don't have to work so hard. If you came to Changling, it would be much easier."
She seemed to be confident that she could arrange everything for her.
Yan Xia said, "Everyone has their own aspirations. I still need more training."
Lu Qianzhou was lowering his head and analyzing the details of the stock market fluctuations on the tablet, as if he wasn't listening to their conversation.
Unexpectedly, he suddenly said, "Don't interfere in the Xinghaiwan project from now on. You don't need to fight for the reclamation permit either. Shangguan Yao is Wang Keding's illegitimate son. There are too many stakes involved. Don't meet him alone anymore."
He was completely speaking in the tone of an elder, giving her an order without any room for negotiation.
Yan Xia instinctively said, "But I'm afraid it will be hard to explain to Fang Jiangyi..."
Lu Qianzhou interrupted her. "You don't have to worry about it. I'll handle it."
Jiang Yue seemed to be left out all of a sudden. She could sense the subtle atmosphere. It had been a long time since she last saw Lu Qianzhou being so assertive in managing someone's affairs. It had really been a long time.
Although she could sense the subtle atmosphere, the conversation and actions of the two were perfectly normal.
They didn't say another word until she got out of the car.
Watching the car disappear from sight, she let out a sigh of relief. The butler came out to greet her personally, and then she followed him home.
On the way to Lu Qianzhou's mansion, Yan Xia was extremely nervous. Because as soon as Jiang Yue got out of the car, Lu Qianzhou told her to switch to the back seat, next to him.